So when the Dolphins and Broncos kick off tonight at 8:30 at Invesco Field at Mile High, it might seem to both teams as if they're looking in the mirror.

"We talked all week about this being a physical team on both sides of the ball, very similar to us," Wannstedt said.

In the past two years under Wannstedt, these have been the kinds of games that have tripped up the Dolphins -- the game against a quality opponent on the road. To complicate matters, consider that Denver has the NFL's best regular-season home record at 165-54-1 (.752), temperatures are expected to be in the upper 30s and the game will be played at high altitude, which makes breathing difficult.

But those are all excuses, according to the Dolphins.

"The road to a championship includes winning on the road," safety Brock Marion said. "This is another step that we have to take, go in there, play in a hostile environment and win."

Both teams want to use their ground game to set up their short and intermediate passing games on offense, and defensively both teams are adept at shutting down the run and fairly reluctant to blitz.

Denver rookie running back Clinton Portis, the second-round pick from the University of Miami, has provided the Broncos the offensive spark they needed. Portis' 306 rushing yards lead all rookies and he's coming off a 106-yard game in last week's 26-9 victory over San Diego.

And Denver's offensive line has been regarded among the NFL's best -- and dirtiest -- for years.

"We'll have to see what they do, but the biggest part is we've got to stop that run game," middle linebacker Zach Thomas said. "Again, with that passing game we'll be fine as long as we can stop that run. We've been doing well against the run, so hopefully we'll do the same."

Dolphins offensive coordinator Norv Turner has devised successful game plans so far this year, even coming up with three touchdowns in a 48-30 loss at Kansas City. He'll be charged with finding a way to establish running back Ricky Williams (565 yards, 4.8-yard per carry average) against a nasty front seven.

The Broncos have shut down each of the five running backs they've faced this year.

If that happens, it should loosen up the Denver defense enough to use play-action passes to receiver Chris Chambers (23-290-2) and tight end Randy McMichael (16-230-3).

If that doesn't happen, and there's a good chance it won't, the Dolphins will have to improvise, which is the formula Denver has used to win so far this year.

"They're the most complete team, and best team, we've faced this year," Wannstedt said.